


Protection Comfort and Love

by DrayOakenshield



Series: Loving a Dwarrow [5]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, M/M, Post-Battle of Five Armies, Protective Thorin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-02-17 08:26:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13073022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrayOakenshield/pseuds/DrayOakenshield
Summary: Five traditional courting gifts are exchanged, gifts of protection, comfort, and love.1/2/18 - the rating was updated to Mature because of mentions of non con in CH4





	1. Thorin's Protection

**Author's Note:**

> Its the day of the Yule feast and Thorin has something special for Bilbo before they announce their courtship to the court.
> 
> Again this is not really a stand-alone piece but you are welcome to try and read it as such. This is the first work in this series that is multi-chapter.
> 
> Also, I know in cannon Thorin is about 195. For my story I'm playing with ages and cannon a bit and aging him at 150.

Bilbo rushed into the sitting room carrying a paper-wrapped package and looking frazzled, he had been putting finishing touches on a courting gift for Thorin and lost track of time. Not that he was out of time necessarily, he was just going to have to rush a bit more than he would have liked to while he was getting ready for the feast tonight, the feast where he and Thorin were going to announce that they had begun the courting dance. Just think about the announcement made his stomach lurch, after tonight everyone would know he and Thorin belonged together. Assuming their private receiving room would be safe he placed the package on an end table and started pulling his tunic over his head as he turned toward the bedroom door. Before he could get very far there was a polite cough from the couch by the fire interrupting his motions. Blushing Bilbo yanked his tunic back down and spun to figure out who was in his and Thorin’s room. “Fili! Kili! What are you doing here?”

“I invited them,” Thorin said with a chuckle. “Dwalin will be here any moment as well.”

“Dwalin?” Bilbo asked curiously.

“Yes laddie?” Dwalin responded as he stepped through the door.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be overseeing the preparations or something for the feast?” Bilbo said sounding very confused.

“Come sit down Bilbo, we need to talk before we go to the feast.” Thorin said, his voice serious.

Bilbo’s stomach went from light and fluttery to feeling like a ball of lead had settled in it when he heard Thorin’s tone. He knew things had been too good to last. After all, why would a king coming into his own want to settle with a lowly hobbit from the shire? Steeling himself for the worst Bilbo sat on the edge of the couch with his hands in his lap. Before he could remark or start apologizing for letting things go too far Thorin’s arm snaked around his waist and yanked him back, startling a squeak out of him.

“Do not fret love. It is nothing bad, just something official that needs to be done regarding those pesky dwarrow traditions before we can actually announce the courtship to the court.” Thorin mumbled into Bilbo’s ear before settling him comfortably at his side and turning to face the other three in the room. “Dwalin do you swear on your position as captain of the guards of Erebor to bear witness to what is about to transpire and confirm it before whoever questions it?”

Dwalin nodded with just a hint of a smile showing in his eyes. “Yes my king.”

Thorin nodded his thanks before turning to Fili. “Fili as heir to the throne of Erebor, the highest position outside my own in this kingdom, do you swear to bear witness to what is about to transpire and confirm it before whoever questions it?”

Fili nodded, giving just the briefest of smiles before letting his face fall back into the solemn mask he typically reserved for court proceedings. “Yes my king.”

Again Thorin nodded his thanks before his gaze moved to the next and last person in the room. “Kili, prince of Durin, you have heard two high ranking members of this court swear to bear witness to the event that is about to happen. Do you have any objections to proceeding?”

Kili shook his head briefly. “No my king.”

Thorin smiled briefly before standing up and walking over to collect a medium sized chest from their dining table. Coming back to the couch he set the chest at Bilbo's feet and kneeled beside it. “Part of the courting tradition of my people is the presentation of a series of gifts from both parties. As you were not born a dwarrow I will understand if you choose not to participate in the giving of gifts but I hope you will do me the honor of accepting the three gifts I will offer over the next five months leading up to our wedding. In this chest is the first of the traditional gifts, the gift of protection.”

Bilbo smiled at Thorin. “I have been reading a book on traditions Ori found in the library, I would love to present my courting gifts at a later date. Will you please show me what is in the chest?”

Thorin had brightened considerably when Bilbo admitted he was studying the dwarrow traditions and was eager to participate in them. Placing his hand on the chest lid he slowly lifted it open revealing a glistening short sword sitting on what looked to be a leather garment of some sort. “As I stated earlier this is the gift of protection. The sword I forged with my own hands and tools, the leather chest plate and bracers were molded and stamped by Kili because I did not think you would wear even the lightest of mail on a daily basis.”

Bilbo gasped and reached to pick up the sword carefully to inspect it. “Thorin the craftsmanship on this is stunning, I would be honored to carry it every day.”

“Thank you amralime. I will move through my days breathing easier knowing you are carrying a sword forged in our fires.” Thorin said, trying to suppress his grin. “What of the armor?”

Setting the sword aside with care not to cut himself he lifted the vest out of the chest and was struck speechless. Kili had layered three tiers of black leather to ensure Bilbo was properly protected then fastened it together with glowing silver rivets, along each visible edge he had stamped the leather with intricate dwarrow knotwork giving the heavy leather an air of lightness. Laying the chestplate across his lap he picked up one of the bracers and saw they had the same intricate pattern woven down the part that would face out to the world while the grommets for the lacing down the back we ringed with silver that matched the rivets on the chest plate. “Kili this is truly astounding leather work, I did not know it was your craft. I would be honored to wear this and tell everyone that you made it.”

Kili flushed at the praise. “It was actually my master work piece. When I finished it I was granted the title of master leather smith. I am so glad you approve of it, I was thrilled that Thorin trusted me to make it as a courting gift for you.”

“Bilbo,” Thorin said quietly drawing the hobbits attention back to him. “Do you accept these gifts freely of your own volition? Before you do please know that if you do your protection will be tested at some point between now and the wedding and as such you must wear this armor and carry this sword with you at all times until Dwalin informs us that the test has occurred and my protection has passed the test.”

Bilbo quirked an eyebrow at Thorin to indicate they would be having a discussion about the insanity of dwarves later when they were in private before he schooled his face back into a smile. “I will accept your offer of protection my king.”

Dwalin suddenly spoke up, smiling fondly at the pair in front of him. “The protection has been accepted, I will inform the guards and then see you at the feast.” Standing to exit the room he paused long enough to knock heads with Thorin and gently touch foreheads with Bilbo before walking out.

Kili also walked over to knock heads with Thorin and touch his forehead to Bilbo’s with Fili right behind him echoing his motions. “Thank you again for what both of you have done for me this night. I will see you at the feast.”

“I have witnessed the offer and acceptance of protection, I will make sure the whole of Erebor knows that Bilbo is now under the protection of the king and the line of Durin. See you two at the feast!” Fili said exiting the room with Kili right on his heels.

Once the door closed behind the brothers Bilbo turned to Thorin with an amused smile. “So you mean to tell me at some unknown point in the near future a group of dwarves is going to pop out of nowhere and attempt to beat me senseless to make sure you can provide me protection?”

Thorin chuckled at the tone that was clearly indicating how absurd the gentle hobbit found this as he placed the armor back into the chest and picked it up. “Aye that’s the gist of it. Typically the surprise attack will come when I am with you but it is symbolic for you to wear the armor and carry the sword so all can see what phase of the courtship we are in.”

Bilbo shook his head laughing and grabbed Thorin’s hand. “I’m glad I had read that book Ori found before coming back here of I may have thought you had fallen into madness again. Come on let’s finish this discussion while I get dressed. Now that I have to put on armor on top of everything it will take me a bit longer than I thought to get ready and I would hate to keep everyone waiting.”

Thorin smiled as he let Bilbo drag him into the bedroom. Yet again he sent a silent prayer up to Mahal thanking him for giving him someone who was so accepting and understanding. Most outsiders probably would have decided the rituals and customs of the dwarrow were absurd and refused to participate but Bilbo was willingly seeking out information on them and trying to participate in them. “If you look on the bed there is a tunic crafted to wear under the armor to protect your skin, as well as a belt and scabbard for the sword.”

“You really do think of everything don’t you?” Bilbo said laughing as he pulled the tunic he was wearing over his head to switch it for the dark blue one on the bed. “It’s even dark enough to hide stains if the black rubs off the leather. Though I will say the embroidery around the elbow seems oddly placed.”

“When you have the full armor on it will line up in the gap between pieces perfectly. Come over here and let me help you get this on, this is your first time wearing leather armor this intricate correct?”

Bilbo nodded as he shrugged the vest in place and started fiddling with the silver fastenings trying to get them to latch. “The only armor I’ve ever worn is the mithril shirt you gave me. Needless to say, that is much easier to put on than this is.”

“Battle armor is more practical than this,” Thorin said with a wry smirk. “If I thought you would ever be in true need of armor I would have insisted on metal instead of leather but I fully intend for you to never see another battlefield for the rest of our days.”

“I will be protected if one of the guards gets overeager right? This isn’t going to let a knife slip through my rips or anything like that, is it?” Bilbo fretted nervously as he held out his arm for Thorin to tighten the laces on the first bracer.

“Not that I would let them get that far but if it were to somehow happen then yes,” Thorin reassured as he finished lacing the bracer on Bilbo’s left forearm with experienced fingers and moved to the one on his upper arm. 

Once all the armor pieces were on and fastened Thorin stood back to admire him. “You are still my hobbit but it truly brings joy to see you looking so much like a dwarf with your armor and braids.”

Bilbo blushed slightly, he was still not used to someone admiring him as openly as Thorin was apt to do. “I may be a hobbit by birth but I am a dwarrow in all other ways. I truly do love the armor you designed for me, it fits perfectly now that I’ve lost most of the roundness of a hobbit.”

“I would not be adverse to you putting some of that roundness back on.” Thorin chuckled, leaning in to snag a quick kiss before starting to strap on his own armor. “But no matter how flat or round you are I will always love exploring your skin.”

Bilbo shifted the belt to settle the scabbard into the right place on his hip before sliding the sword home. “Thank you, my love, I’m glad my shape will not deter your advances. Are you ready to proceed down to the feast?”

Thorin rolled his shoulders to settle his chainmail the last bit and nodded with a wry smile. “Aye, let us go prod the hornet's nest.”

“I don’t really think it will be that bad do you?” Bilbo said taking Thorin's hand as they made their way out of their apartment and headed toward the hall for the feast.

“I’m hoping it won’t but there is a chance things could go bad.” Thorin admitted looking slightly guilty at the fact that he had been hiding something from Bilbo. “I wasn’t going to tell you unless it became an issue but there is a slight chance someone could challenge me for your honor. Or challenge you for mine, but it is acceptable to declare a champion in such circumstances.”

Bilbo stopped dead in the middle of the hall and spun to face Thorin. “What?!”

Thorin gave Bilbo an apologetic look. “In dwarrow culture if someone believes a couple is poorly matched they can challenge whichever half of the couple they believe is ill-suited to the match. So if someone believed that you would not be a good consort for the throne they could challenge you to prove that you are able and willing to fight for it, but as I said you are allowed to declare a champion to fight on your behalf. Kili, Fili, Dwalin, and Bofur have all told me at various points that they would be willing to act as your champion if the need arises.”

“And you weren’t going to tell me this why?” Bilbo pressed.

“Because the chances of anyone who is currently in the mountain thinking we aren’t a good match are nearly zero. Everyone who is here knows that you saved me and my nephews at the last battle. Everyone in that hall knows that you were the heart of the company and if you hadn’t been by our side then we would not be in this hall to share gifts” Thorin explained as if it were common knowledge.

Bilbo huffed still sounding slightly annoyed. “No more secrets during this courtship got it? Even if you think something is unlikely to happen you tell me every little thing that could happen because of some pigheaded dwarf with a bad attitude.”

Thorin suppressed a chuckle and leaned in to steal a kiss. “Aye, any further traditions will be told to you before there is even a chance of it becoming an issue. Now we are truly going to be late if we do not hurry along.”

Bilbo took Thorin’s hand again as they took off walking through the halls. As they turned into the final hall he turned to look at Thorin with a small smile.“I don’t think you guys will ever truly make sense to me but I want to keep trying to figure you out.”

“I will explain everything to you as needed. You are dwarrow kin now, we won’t hold anything secret.” Thorin said with a squeeze of his hand. “Now go ahead and take your place in the company like we discussed and I will follow behind shortly.”

Bilbo stole one more kiss before stepping up to the guards outside the door and nodding to be let in. As soon as the doors opened the rumble in the hall quieted as all eyes turned to see who was making such an entrance. As he stepped through the doors the quiet rumble of talking picked up again, he could hear snippets of conversation wondering why he had taken to wearing armor and what it could signify. Taking a breath to calm his racing heart he made his way up the right side of the hall to where the company, save for Fili, Kili, and Dwalin, was standing at their table next to the head table waiting for Thorin before they took their seats. Everyone who wasn’t already royalty had been given a position of honor of some sort by Thorin as soon as the council had been reformed and as such, they had their own table next to the royal table where Bilbo usually sat because he and Thorin had been keeping their relationship secret. Falling into place between Balin and Bofur Bilbo nodded his greeting and turned to face the doors as they opened again to let the king under the mountain through.

Thorin stood looking every inch a king as the doors opened to frame him. Once the hall was completely silent and standing attention he started walking towards the king's table where Kili and Fili were waiting for him in their spots to the left of the throne. Scanning the room as he walked through he nodded greetings where appropriate and smiled at a few lucky people. As soon as he reached his seat at the head table he motioned for everyone to sit before taking a deep breath and starting to speak. “As we all know yule is a joyous time for our people, even more so with us celebrating the reclamation of our mountain home. Though many of our kin are still awaiting more agreeable weather to travel to us we can feel them in our hearts and know that they are celebrating our homecoming wherever they may be.” With that Thorin paused and raised his glass in a toast to their kin, once the hall had settled again he resumed speaking. “Before we begin the feast I would like to give you all one more thing to celebrate. I have chosen a consort and have started the courting rituals.”

Bilbo took his cue and backed away from the company table to join Thorin and his nephews on the royal dais. He did not say a word as he took his place at Thorin's right shoulder with a nod at Fili and Kili.

“May I present to you Bilbo Baggins, son of Bungo Baggins, formerly of the Shire and my intended.” Thorin declared loudly, taking Bilbo’s hand and holding it to his heart.

Anyone walking by the hall would likely have thought an explosion had happened inside with the ruckus that occurred. Unfortunately, not all of the shouts were happy ones which caused the guards around the room to stand to attention and start eyeing the crowd nervously. On the dais, Dwalin stepped into his place at Bilbo’s right shoulder with his hand resting on the handle of the axe strapped to his back while Fili moved closer to Thorin’s left side with his hands resting on the hilts of the matching swords on his hips. Even the company was shifting to spread out with their hands on their weapons. Bilbo eyed Thorin curiously for a moment before turning back to the chaos in front of him. 

Thorin watched the room for a few moments, mentally making a note of who was reacting the angriest to their union. Glancing at the company table he received the smallest of nods from Nori, if he hadn’t been looking for it then he likely would have missed it. Turning back to the crowd he shouted over the commotion, “ENOUGH!”

Bilbo started at the shout that came from Thorin, he had forgotten how commanding Thorin could be when he needed to. Raising his own voice he turned back to the crowd to give his first order as future prince consort. “Please sit unless you have a complaint you wish to voice peacefully. Thorin and I will be willing to hear all of them but we cannot do so if you are all talking at once.”

Dwalin snorted from his position behind Bilbo. The pair in front of him could not be any more different, when Thorin roared his commands Bilbo purred his and between the two of them everyone in the room shut up and the vast majority of them sat down, leaving only one person standing who looked like they had something to say. Dwalin nodded to the standing dwarf, “Kunli your request to speak has been noted. Once the king is finished speaking we will hear your complaint.”

Kunli nodded at Dwalin and sat back down to see what the rest of the night would bring.

Once the hall was all seated and quite again Fili stepped forward with his hands still on his swords, his voice booming over the hall. “As prince and heir to the throne of Erebor I would like to announce that I have witnessed the offer and the acceptance of the first gift of the courting period, the gift of protection. For everyone to see Bilbo has worn that gift into this hall tonight to symbolize he is under the protection of Thorin and the line of Durin.”

“Before any objections are raised let me say one more thing,” Thorin said sternly as Fili stepped back a pace. “This union has been blessed by Mahal and Yavanna themselves. I will follow tradition to the letter as is befitting a son of Durin but our souls are already bound in the eyes of our Valar. Now Kunli, what would you like to say to us?”

Kunli stood again, looking calmly angry. “I hear your words but I have no proof of them. I do not believe you, my king, are a good match for Bilbo. I have heard the tales of what you said and did while the gold was consuming you, if he was truly your One forged for you by Mahal then you would not have hung him from the battlements by his neck no matter what the gold was doing to your mind. Therefore I challenge you to a duel to first blood for his honor.”

Dwalin started to step forward but Thorin threw an arm across his chest to stop him. “I accept your challenge. The larger hall across the way is cleared and structurally sound, if it suits you we can take this in there. Anyone who wishes to bear witness to this fight is welcome to join us.

Kunli nodded her acceptance and stepped away from the bench to go get ready to spar his king. Almost as one the crowd stood to follow her out, leaving only the company in the feast hall. 

As soon as the door closed behind the last person Bilbo whipped around to face Thorin, the fire in his eyes burning bright enough to rival the fire of Smaug. “What was that you said about anyone challenging either of us to a duel? And why did you accept? I thought we could send a champion in our place? You are insane. I have forgiven you for what happened while you were in the throes of gold sickness, Kunli wasn’t even here until a month after the battle, there is no way he has the full story. And even if he does what does it matter that you dangled me off the battlements, you didn’t drop me!” 

Thorin let Bilbo rant for a moment before leaning in to kiss him to cut off the flow of words. Breaking the kiss Thorin leaned their foreheads together speaking softly. “Breath amralime. Kunli is a weak fighter at best, I am not worried about this challenge. And yes we can declare champions but she didn’t just challenge our bond, she called me a liar as well. That needs to be dealt with, at the very least once she loses I will take her beard and her warrior braids as punishment for the words she spoke. Lastly, it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of what happened that day, you and our company know the truth and they accept that you have forgiven me so that is all that matters.”

Bilbo took a deep breath and nodded. “I know you're right, I just worry about you ghivashel.”

Dwalin snorted behind him, “Do you see how much armor Thorin is wearing? I’m surprised there is any skin showing for her to try and draw blood from. And besides, first blood duels have a very strict honor code if Kunli goes for anything above the shoulder she won’t live to regret it. Kili will be standing right next to you on the upper balcony with his bow close at hand while Fili and I patrol the edge of the area, all three of us are ready to step in if needed. No one will hurt Thorin, trust us lad.”

Thorin hugged Bilbo tightly and kissed him on the top of his head. “I will show everyone exactly how much you mean to me, don’t worry love. Once we go in the hall you and Kili will lead the company up to the viewing balcony while Dwalin checks our armor and weapons. After he is satisfied that everything meets protocol he will nod at you and you can start the fight. Are you ready?”

“Not quite.” Bilbo said turning to look at Kili. “Can you get my bow from the anteroom please?”

Thorin watched curiously as Kili nodded and bounced off the steps to get the bow from the small room at the back of the hall. Once the young prince was out of sight he turned that curious gaze on Bilbo. “Your bow? Since when do you know how to use a bow? And why do none of us know about this?”

“Yes, my bow. While swords and axes aren’t favored among shire folk bow are, I learned to shoot one when I was in my teenage years so I could bring home game for my dinner if I wanted to. As for why none of you know, you seemed to favor sharper weapons and most of the fighting we have done was in close quarters so it never seemed appropriate to bring it up. Plus I didn’t bring my bow with me when I left because it is quite old and I didn’t want something to happen to it on the way here.” Bilbo explained, rambling again under the intense gaze he was receiving from Thorin.

“I see,” Thorin said, pursing his lips. “Next time someone asks you what weapons you use please list all of them. I can think of quite a few moments where an extra bow watching our back would have been incredibly useful on the long march here. And if you didn’t want to bring your own it would have been the work of minutes for Kili and myself to string you a new one while we were stopped for a rest.”

Kili skidded to a stop next to Thorin holding out the bow and matching quiver to Bilbo with a smirk. “So what part of the chewing out are we at now?”

“We are shelving the chewing out for now. We have lingered long enough and should get on with the rest of the events for the evening.” Thorin said shaking his head, he had known from the first time he set foot in Bilbo’s smial he would be in trouble if his nephews became friends with the hobbit and this exchange was proving him right. 

“Let’s go then,” Bilbo said settling his quiver on his back and holding out the hand not holding the bow out to Thorin.

Thorin took his hand with a smile and led the company out of the room and across the hall to the room where he and Kunli would be knocking each other around. After they entered the hall Thorin lifted their joined hands to his mouth and kissed Bilbo’s softly before releasing the hobbit's hand and resting his fingers on the courting bead Bilbo was wearing. 

Bilbo turned and kissed Thorin’s palm, resting his newly freed hand on Thorin’s braid. Resting their foreheads together he spoke just loud enough for Thorin to hear. “I will be waiting for you.”

“I will return to you amralime,” Thorin whispered back before separating from Bilbo and proceeding to the center of the open area with Dwalin right behind him.

Kili stepped forward and placed a hand on Bilbo’s shoulder to guide him up the stairs to his left and over to the viewing area. Once he received the nod from Dwalin Bilbo stepped forward and raised his voice over the crowd. “Kunli has issued a challenge to my betrothed for my honor. Tonight on what is supposed to be a joyous night this challenge will be answered. Thorin, Kunli, begin!”

The words had scarcely left Bilbo’s mouth before there was a resounding clang of metal as Kunli’s sword swung up to block orcrist. Thorin had the advantage and all watching could see that as he swung again before Kunli had had time to rebalance herself from the first swing. Pressing forward Thorin swung orcrist through the air as if it weighed nothing, barely giving Kunli time to block one swing before the next came from a different angle. 

Bilbo was holding onto the railing with white knuckles watching the scene below him. He had seen Thorin spar his nephews before, he had watched Thorin fight in the middle of a raging battle, but he had never seen anything like what Thorin was doing on the floor below him. It was almost like watching a dance but far more lethal. Every move was fluid and strong, knocking Kunli farther and farther off balance. Suddenly there was a gasp and the clatter of metal on stone as one of the two fighting for Bilbo’s honor dropped their sword.

Thorin sheathed his sword with a wicked smirk as Kunli clutched her bleeding hand to her chest. Looking down at the kneeling woman he spoke in a tone that was barely above a growl. “Bilbo is mine. You were not there the day the events you spoke of happened, you do not know how the gold sickness seeped into my soul and removed me from myself. Also, never call me a liar again or it will be more than just your beard being removed. Dwalin have the healer see to her wound and then remove her beard and warrior braid, the rest of you can go back to the feast if you still wish to eat.”

Dwalin stepped forward and picked Kunli up by the back of her tunic and shoved her toward the door muttering the whole way out of the room about Kunli being a worthless excuse for a dwarf with most of the hall following behind him. 

As soon as the back half of the hall was clear Thorin sprinted over to the staircase and bound up it to go make sure Bilbo was okay. Quickly reaching the viewing balcony he pulled Bilbo into his arms and hugged him tightly, pressing their foreheads together. “I told you I would be back for you.”

“I never doubted you would be ghivashel,” Bilbo said kissing him tenderly. “You were amazing to watch, I’ve never seen anyone move like that.”

Thorin smirked as he held Bilbo to his chest. “That’s the benefit of a hundred and fifty years of practice. Plus I may have been showing off a bit for your benefit.”

Bilbo hummed contentedly. “I like watching you show off for me. I love watching you move and seeing the strength dance through your muscles. Thinking about how strong you are makes me want to drag you off to our bedroom and -”

“And that is my queue to leave now.” Kili interrupted with a laugh. “Are you two going back to the feast or should I have plates sent to your rooms?”

Thorin chuckled at how red Bilbo was turning, apparently the hobbit had forgotten that they weren’t exactly alone yet. “Please have plates sent to our room and have Fili make excuses for us. I am tired and wish to spend time alone with Bilbo before I lose my calm in a very un-kingly way.”

Kili grinned and turned to leave. “Have a good night you two!”

“Night Kili. Thanks again for all of your help today.” Bilbo said as the young dwarf left them alone on the balcony.

“Now, what were you saying you want to drag me off to our bedroom to do?” Thorin said with a chuckle as he grabbed Bilbo’s hand to lead him back to their rooms.

Bilbo flushed again but smiled brightly. “Well, the first thing I want to do when we get to our rooms is to give you something.”

“Yule present?” Thorin questioned, his pace speeding up slightly.

“You’ll have to wait and find out when we get back.” Bilbo teased.

“Well, no point in taking any longer than we need to!” Thorin exclaimed before picking Bilbo up and tossing him over his shoulder. As Bilbo squealed and grabbed on to the back of his armor Thorin took off at a trot through the abandoned halls laughing.


	2. Bilbo's Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Retiring to their rooms after the feast Bilbo offers Thorin a gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter time hops a bit to keep things smooth but still give the detail and fill out the story more. It is shorter than ch 1 but hopefully ch 3 will be longer (and maybe smuttier)

_Two months earlier, two days after the tattoo incident_

Bilbo knocked on the door of Kili and Fili’s sitting room, hoping Kili was in and able to help him with something he wanted to do for Thorin. When he heard the shout to come in he opened the door and poked his head around to see who was inside. To his surprise only Kili and Tauriel were in the room. “Do you guys mind if I come in? I wanted to ask a favor of you Kili, and you Tauriel if you are willing to help.”

“You know we will do anything for you Mister Baggins.” Tauriel said with a small smile from her seat on the couch.

“Yeah, whatever you need we will happily help you out with it. Come grab a seat and tell us what’s going on.” Kili shouted a bit louder than necessary from his spot against Tauriel’s legs. 

Bilbo nodded as he stepped through the door and shut it behind him. Walking over to the pile of furs in front of the fireplace he situated himself on the floor. “You guys are allowed to tell me no if it’s too much okay?”

“After saving our lives nothing you could ask for would be too much,” Kili said, brushing aside Bilbo’s concern. “Now what’s going on?”

“Well I was reading a book Ori found on courting traditions and the traditional gifts that you are supposed to give and I want to be sure I was reading it right. If I am I may need both of your help with part of the first gift.” Bilbo said, suddenly nervous.

“Courting gifts I can definitely help with, I’ve had tradition drilled into me since I could talk,” Kili said pretending to groan. 

Tauriel nudged him with her foot before smiling at Bilbo. “I’m honored that you would ask me to be involved with the making of your courtship gifts for Thorin. What do you need from us Bilbo?”

“Well from what I was reading the I only have to give Thorin two courtship gifts while he has to give me three, right? And the first of them has to be the gift of comfort correct?” Bilbo asked, looking at Kili who nodded in agreement. “Okay then this is where I need your help, I want to make Thorin a new cloak lined with wolf fur. I know there are wolves in the forest around our gates, would you two be willing to help me hunt three silver ones and skin them for their pelts?”

Kili sat up a bit straighter. “We will happily help you take down the wolves, they are a pest around here so hunting them is no issue. But you don’t have to come with us, just because the gift has to be hand made doesn’t mean you have to do every part of it yourself. Once the pelts are cured as long as you shape the cloak yourself that will be more than acceptable by our traditions. You have enough issues using a sword on an enemy, you don’t have to try and hunt a wolf with us.”

Bilbo ducked his head sheepishly. “Actually I’m quite proficient with a bow, I used to hunt game around the shire.”

Kili blinked at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. “Uncle is going to blow his lid when he realizes that you could have been helping me hunt game on the trip. Why didn’t you tell us you could pull a bow?”

“When Thorin asked about weapons he only listed bladed weapons and I didn’t think he would appreciate a bow,” Bilbo explained. “And I didn’t want to bring my grandfather's bow with me on the trip incase something were to happen to it so I just let it slide.

Kili shook his head still chuckling. “Uncle is going to give you such an earful when he finds out. But back to the conversation at hand. I will happily go out with you to track the wolves you need for the cloak.”

Tauriel had been watching the exchange with a smile, finally speaking up when Kili said he would help track the wolves. “I will go with you as well, a good hunt is always a welcome distraction.”

And so two days later the trio of them were in the woods below Erebor with bows in hand tracking pawprints through the mud the rain the night before had created. They had already felled two silver beasts but Bilbo wanted a third pelt just in case something went wrong with one of the first two. At the sound of something brushing through the undergrowth ahead of him Bilbo nocked an arrow and followed the movement with the tip of his arrow. If he could aim true then their hunt would be over and the three of them would be back in time for dinner, well before Thorin would realize Bilbo wasn’t in the mountain. Glancing up into the trees he found the flash of Tauriel's red hair behind where the creature in the brush was. When the elf felt Bilbo’s eyes on her she nodded to indicate the creature he heard was a silver wolf and heading his way. When Bilbo heard another rustle he adjusted his aim and let the arrow fly. The dull thud that followed a second later let him know his arrow had found its mark and he walked through to inspect the kill. He was pleased to find that instead of going through the head of the wolf the arrow had buried itself deep into the animal's neck, meaning he could use the fur from the skull to make a hood with the wolfs face.

“I kind of want to be there when uncle finds out you took down two of the three wolves for his gift. He spent so long muttering about you not belonging to the company when we first started that finding out you took down two large predators on your own is going to kill him.” Kili said with humor in his voice as he dropped out of a tree behind Bilbo.

“I know I have to tell him eventually but I’m fairly sure he might kill me when I do,” Bilbo said laughing as he tied the feet of the wolf together to make it easier to carry.

Tauriel whistled loudly to signal for their guard to join them before dropping out of her tree. “He won’t kill you Bilbo, he loves you too much for that. He may find other ways to punish you though.”

Bilbo blanched slightly at the idea while Kili started laughing again. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too bad, Thorin did love him after all. Before he could think of a retort the guard that was following them popped out of the trees to take the wolf Bilbo had just downed back to the castle, the same as two other guards had done previously. Bilbo had already spoken with one of the leather masters and arranged for the three wolves to be taken straight to his workshop to be skinned and the pelts cured. He would be picking them up in seven weeks assuming everything went to plan, which would give him one week to sew the cloak before the Yule feast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_One week prior to the Yule feast_

While Thorin was in his daily council meeting Bilbo quickly made his way down to the leather masters shop. Kili had received word from the leather master the day before that the pelts they had sent in seven weeks before were cured and ready to work with so he could pick them up whenever he had a moment. He had already collected the dark blue wool two weeks previously and had spent any free moment when he knew Thorin wouldn’t appear unexpectedly working on embroidering the entire outside edge with dwarrow knot work in a vibrant silver thread. All that was left was to trim the pelts to size and attach them to the woolen fabric and shape the head of the wolf over the hood he had crafted. It should only take another day of work, maybe two at the most, but he was still nervous about getting it done. He wanted to present it to Thorin after the Yule feast and time was running short. Reaching master Falin’s shop he knocked on the door to announce his presence before opening it and looking into the room. “Master Falin? Kili said you had the pelts ready for me?”

“Ah yes master Baggins, good to see you lad.” Falin said looking up from the leather he was working with and smiling at the hobbit. Standing up he picked up a paper-wrapped package and held it out to Bilbo. “Yes these were quite fine quality pelts, thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with them.”

“Thank you for curing them for me, I don’t think the company would have appreciated the smell of them curing in our wing.” Bilbo replied with a friendly smile as he took the package and passed over a small coin pouch in return.

Falin tried to refuse the payment with a stern frown. “I still say you don’t have to pay me for this. You have done so much for all of us, the least I can do is cure a few pelts for you.”

“I know Falin, but please accept the coin as a token of my thanks if not as payment for work done. You have no idea how much you preparing these pelts means to me.” Bilbo insisted backing toward the door so Falin couldn’t pass the coin pouch back to him.

“Fine. This time I will take the coin lad, next time you need something, however, I will not take payment. Understood?” Falin said smiling fondly.

“Understood master Falin. Now I must get going before I’m late for my meeting with the king, but thank you again for the pelts.” Bilbo agreed as he turned to exit the room, the package tucked safely under his arm. Once he reached the royal wing he looked around to make sure Thorin wasn’t in sight before ducking into his old rooms next to Fili and Kili’s where he had set up shop to work on the cloak for Thorin. Locking the door behind him he set to work on measuring and trimming pelts to finish the cloak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Immediately after the Yule feast_

Bilbo laughed as Thorin dropped him on the couch and then vaulted over the back to join him. “I need to remember that you react to being told there are presents like a kid who has been promised sweets.”

Thorin chuckled and curled up with his head in Bilbo’s lap. “I’m just excited to spend time with you honestly. I feel like the last couple of weeks have been so busy I haven’t had any time to just be with you without knowing someone is going to interrupt us or we are going to fall asleep mid-conversation.”

“So what you are saying is that you don’t want your first courting gift?” Bilbo teased as he carded his fingers through Thorin's hair.

“Hey now! That isn’t what I said at all!” Thorin exclaimed indignantly.

“Well, you have me pinned so I can’t exactly get it.” Bilbo pointed out chuckling.

Thorin grumbled before crawling up Bilbo to give him a kiss. “How far do you have to go to get it?”

“Remember the package I brought in with me before you scared the daylights out of me?”

Thorin kissed him one more time before sitting up properly. “Okay since you don’t have to leave the room I will allow you to get up.”

Bilbo laughed at his intendeds antics that were so reminiscent of his nephews it was easy to see the family resemblance. Leaning down he gave Thorin a quick kiss on the head before getting up to grab the parcel. Much like Thorin had earlier Bilbo brought it over to the couch and knelt in front of the other man and holding out the package. “Tonight has been a joyful night filled with laughter and fun. Yes there were a few dark moments but overall I will always look back on this night with fondness. I would like to add to those happy memories by offering you my first courtship gift, the gift of comfort.”

Thorin gently took the package and set it on his lap to tug at the strings. When the paper fell away he gasped in surprise at the wolf head staring back at him. Curiously yet carefully he picked it up and watched as the cloak unfurled toward the floor revealing the soft silver fur lining, turning it around in his hands Thorin marveled silently at the intricate silver needlework that was practically glowing on the dark blue background. “Bilbo this is stunning, I had no clue you could embroider like this!”

Bilbo blushed slightly at the praise. “I took down the wolves whose pelts line it as well, with Kili and Tauriel’s help that is. The only thing I didn’t do myself was cure the pelts and dye the wool.”

Thorin stood up and pulled the cloak around his shoulders with a wide smile. Bilbo truly did know him well, the clock fell perfectly across his shoulders and stopped just short of the floor. Pulling the hood up only made him grin wider as he realized it fit perfectly so the wolf’s snout was in the middle of his forehead, giving the impression that he was the creature he wore. “I happily accept your gift of comfort Bilbo. I cannot wait to wear this when I inspect the battlements day after next, it already feels so much warmer than my old cloak.”

Bilbo grinned brightly. “Thank you for doing me the honor of accepting my first courting gift Thorin.”

Thorin pulled the cloak off almost reluctantly, folding it over the arm of the chair with care before turning to lift Bilbo into his arms. “The detail and love you put into that cloak are astounding, it will truly be an honor to wear it, thank you amralime. I know I’ve said it before but I don’t think you know how much it means to me that you are adopting our culture so thoroughly. To see you wearing braids in your hair and our ink in your skin makes my heart feel full. I never thought I would find the one Mahal forged for me, even in my wildest dreams I didn’t dare hope that I would not rule alone. To wake every morning and feel you pressed against me is the most amazing feeling ever, it feels more like home than this mountain ever was even before Smaug attacked. I love you Bilbo, I am so happy that you chose me to be your husband.”

Bilbo buried his face in Thorin's neck to hide his blush. The intensity of the other man’s feelings still amazed him, and the fact that he felt just as deeply for Thorin as Thorin felt for him overwhelmed him at times. Once he felt less bewildered at the wash of emotion he kissed Thorin’s neck and pulled back to look at him. “I love you too Thorin. I still marvel at the fact that a simple hobbit like myself could somehow win the heart of someone as amazing as you are. The fact that you are a king means nothing to me, I love you for the loyalty and the honor you hold close to your heart, I love you for the strength in your body and in your mind, I love you for who you are when it’s only the company gathered in our rooms and you can just be you. I love you Thorin.”

Thorin leaned down and captured Bilbo’s lips with his own, pouring all the words he could not say into the kiss. Breaking the kiss he rested his forehead against Bilbo’s and took a shaky breath. As he opened his mouth to speak there was a quick knock at the door. “I believe that will be our dinner. Why don’t you go wait for me in our rooms while I get the food then I can come in and feed you dinner before I show you exactly how much I love you?”

“That sounds lovely,” Bilbo said with a soft smile before kissing him and heading to their room.

Thorin watched him go with a content smile, once the door shut behind his intended he schooled his face into a mask of indifference and went to see who was at the door. Opening the door he saw one of Bombur’s kitchen helpers holding a large try of food smiling nervously.

“Good evening your majesty! Mister Bombur sent me to bring this for you and Mister Bilbo, and he also asked me to tell you that he has arranged to have breakfast delivered to your rooms in the morning, and lunch as well if you wish.” The young man rambled nervously.

“Thank you lad. Tell Bombur that I appreciate his efficiency and would like to have lunch delivered as well. Will you be the one delivering?” Thoin said taking the tray with a friendly smile. When the young dwarf nodded Thorin spoke again. “Excellent. Please knock but if we don’t answer feel free to come in and place the food on the table, there will be a small pouch on the table when you come to leave lunch for you as thanks for doing the extra work.”

“You are too kind sir! Thank you very much! I will go tell Bombur now that you would like me to bring your meals tomorrow. Thank you!” The young dwarf smiled at him before bowing and turning to bolt back to the kitchens. 

Laughing at the young dwarfs antics Thorin took the tray into his and Bilbo’s room and set it on the bed so he could pull off his armor off and put it in the trunk at the foot of the bed. Once he was in nothing but his small clothes he crawled in bed next to Bilbo and offered him a morsel of beef from the tray as he told him about the conversation with the kitchen helper. As they fed each other dinner they talked about nothing heavier than favorite foods and colors, choosing to spend the time learning more of the small details about each other that wouldn’t come up in everyday conversation on the road or in the whirlwind that had been their romance so far.


	3. Love's Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is a very busy day in Erebor, perfect for presenting the next courting gift.
> 
> There was so much I needed and wanted to get into this chapter that the smut didn't make the cut, sorry!

The day after their bath together Thorin had sent ravens to Isumbras the thain of the shire and his sister Dis asking for their help with a gift for Bilbo. Though receiving a message delivered by raven had apparently surprised him Isumbras had sent the raven back with an affirmative reply that he would gather what he could before winter set in and have it ready when Dis and her small company came through on their way to the mountain. Two short weeks after he received the reply from Isumbras he had greeted the raven that had been sent to Dis on one of the terraces outside the royal wing that he and a pair of stonemasons were working on extending the terrace out slightly and raising the wall to deepen the soil.

“Roac my friend it is good to see you returned safely.” Thorin greeted the raven, reaching over to the remains of his lunch and pulling a piece of bread from the roll to offer him.

“It was a good flight even as the chill settles in the air.” Roac squawked in reply. “The lady Dis requested I inform you that they reached the Shire and collected the barrels you requested. She and her twenty men and two wagons have departed the Shire and will be here within four months.”

“Thank you, dear friend, I am pleased to receive your news. If you are hungry Bofur is in the kitchens and I believe he has some roast chicken he would spare for you.” Thorin said stroking the raven's feathers with a smile playing on his lips.

“Thank you, my king. I will see what he can offer before I retreat to my roost to rest.” Roac replied, bobbing his head in a small bow before taking off for the kitchens.

Once he had watched the bird depart he turned to the two dwarrow helping him on the terrace. “So we have three and a half months to have this done, including the glass enclosure, before my sister arrives. At the pace we are going here the extension should be done within three weeks and the retaining wall the week after that correct?”

The larger of the two dwarrow in front of him thought for a moment then nodded. “Five weeks sounds like a fair timeline. Though it will have us putting the glass in as the first snow falls.”

“As long as all the pieces are finished it should be the work of less than a week to fit everything together to finish it,” Thorin said with more confidence than he felt. This was a large task that he had taken on and he still wasn’t sure he had made the right choice in courting gift but there was no going back now.

~~~~~~~~~

_Four months after the above scene, two months after Yule..._

“Thorin I swear you are like a child at their birthday.” Bilbo teased as he tugged on the edge of his cloak pulling it tighter around him. Not an hour before a runner had been sent from the guard post to pull the pair of them from their respective tasks and bring them up here to greet the approaching group.

“The only people who this could be are Dis and her company from the Blue Mountain. No one else is insane enough to travel in the depths of winter like this.” Thorin explained, still lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Hail King Thorin! We are weary travelers from the Blue Mountain seeking shelter in your mountain, will you accept us?” A voice shouted from the front of the pack as they came to a stop just yards from the gate.

“You and yours are welcome for as long as you wish to stay.” Thorin replied formally, suppressing his grin.

“Then may I present the Lady Dis, daughter of the line of Durin!” The voice replied, moving his horse to the side to let the woman in the middle of the group guide her mount forward.

“Thorin! Get down here so I can hug you and then beat you senseless for nearly killing my sons!” Dis shouted as she separated from the group to smile up at her brother. 

“Go inside, we will meet you in the entrance hall where there will be more witnesses to your abuse.” Thorin teased back. “The guards already have people inside the gate waiting to unload your packs and take them to your rooms.”

“Ach! I’ll just save the beating for later then.” Dis said, shaking her head as she led her guard through the gate into the courtyard.

Thorin grabbed Bilbo’s hand and eagerly took off for the entrance hall where Kili and Fili were anxiously waiting to find out if it was really their mother approaching. Pushing through the door into the mountain he quickly wove down the stairs towards the entrance hall. However, before they could get to the bottom of the zig-zagging staircase, there was a sudden shout and people were on them with weapons drawn. 

Without thought for himself, Thorin shoved Bilbo behind him into the wall and drew Orcrist from its sheath as he took a defensive stance in front of him. As Thorin faced the attackers they surged forward as one, their weapons flashing as they tried to get to Bilbo. Cursing in Khuzdul Thorin easily fought off the first three attackers. As he knocked each of them down they smiled and moved back to sit further down the stairs. Before Thorin could dispatch the last one his feet were swept out from under him and the attacker turned his focus on Bilbo.

While Thorin had been fighting the four attackers Bilbo had drawn his new sword from its sheath and stood ready keeping the point low so he wouldn’t hurt Thorin by mistake. As Thorin fell to the ground Bilbo reacted on instinct and swung his sword up to meet the nest strike from the remaining attacker. After a few defensive parries, Bilbo pushed forward to put his attacker on the defense as Dwalin had taught him. Within minutes, Bilbo had caught the attackers wrist with the flat of his blade and sent the blade spinning effectively ending the attack.

Smiling the attacker bowed in defeat, “well done Thorin, Master Baggins. I need to go report this to Dwalin and let him know how it went.”

“You put up a good fight and we most definitely weren’t expecting it today of all days,” Thorin replied with an easy smile as he got to his feet and sheathed Orcrist. “Now, if you will excuse us we must go greet my sister.”

After quick handshakes with all the guards that had been part of the scheme Thorin and Bilbo hurried down the last set of stairs and opened the door to the final corridor before the entry hall. After stealing a quick kiss they exited the corridor leading to the entry hall just as Dis stepped through the main door.

“AMAD!” Came the joint shout from Fili and Kili as they surged forward and embraced their mother.

Di caught the boys in a tight hug grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, my boys! I’m so glad my rock-brained brother didn’t succeed in getting you killed!” 

“Hey!” Thorin shouted indignantly as he and Bilbo walked closer to the group. “Keep it up and I won’t show you to our wing where you can clean the road off of you!”

Dis laughed and released her boys to pull Thorin into a tight hug. “You wouldn’t keep your road weary sister from hot food and a bath and you know it, brother.”

Thorin hugged his sister so tight that if the recipient of the hug had been anyone other than a dwarrow their ribs would have cracked. “No, I really wouldn’t. Bilbo, come meet your future sister!”

“Lady Dis it is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Bilbo hesitantly said as he stepped forward from the edge of the crowd that had gathered around the Durin’s while they were having their exuberant greeting and bowed slightly. 

Dis closed the distance between them and pulled Bilbo into a hug just slightly less crushing than the ones she had given her sons and brother. “None of that formality between family! It is so good to finally meet the hobbit that has so enraptured my boys!”

“I’m sure they exaggerated knowing your boys,” Bilbo said with a laugh as he returned the hug before pulling away. “Why don’t we retire to our wing? You can wash up while we wait for the food, then we can relax by the fire and catch up. The guards know where the rooms for your people are and will happily escort them there so you needn’t worry about them.”

“A quick wash and then some food does sound lovely. Lead the way!” Dis said hooking her right arm through Bilbo’s elbow and doing the same to Thorin on her other side. As they wound through the halls to get to the makeshift royal wing they pointed out various improvements and repairs that had already been done in the five months since they had reclaimed their mountain

Three hours and a hot meal later the company and Dis were all lounging around the fire in Thorin and Bilbo's rooms sharing stories of their respective journeys across Middle Earth and getting to know each other better in the case of Dis and Bilbo. 

“I’m starting to wonder how you haven’t killed one of my sons!” Dis said with a laugh as Bilbo finished telling her about the incident with the trolls that Fili and Kili had so graciously gotten him into.

“Well, every court needs a pair of court jesters to keep things light doesn’t it?” Bilbo joked.

“Aye that it does, and my nephews fill that position quite well.” Thorin said with a laugh.

“Hey! I’m not a clown! That’s all Kili!” Fili exclaimed indignantly.

“Weren’t you the one who decided it was a good idea to put the powder in uncles shampoo to turn his grey streaks pink?” Kili teased back.

“I knew that was you two!” Thorin laughed. “I will be getting you back for that, mark my words!”

Fili shot a glare at Kili for spilling their secret. “At least it washed out eventually?”

“I went to council meetings for a month with pink streaks in my hair!” Thorin said chucking one of the small pillows from the couch at Fili.

“Oh how I wish I could have seen that!” Dis gasped through tears of laughter.

“I have access to his shampoo if you want to make it happen again?” Bilbo offered helpfully causing Thorin to shove him off his lap into the pile of furs on the floor.

“Traitors! My whole family have turned into traitors!” Thorin pouted.

“I suppose now would be a bad time to admit that I’m the one who gave them the powders that made that happen?” Oin piped up laughing.

“Oh come here you.” Bilbo said laughing as he climbed back on the couch to kiss away Thorin’s fake pout.

“I still say all of you are traitors,” Thorin said with a laugh as he pulled Bilbo back against his chest.

Dis laughed threw the pillow that she had taken from Fili back at Thorin. “Well, this traitor is going to bed. Boys, will you walk me to my rooms?”

Fili and Kili agreed, causing a chain reaction of the rest of the company deciding it was bedtime as well causing a round of goodnights to be shared. Shortly it was only Bilbo and Thorin relaxing in front of the fire in each other's arms. Nuzzling Bilbo’s hair Thorin spoke quietly, “are you terribly tired amralime?”

“It was a hectic day but I still have some energy left. What have you got in mind?” Bilbo asked with a playful smirk.

“Come with me and I’ll show you.” Thorin replied with a smirk of his own as he stood and tugged Bilbo to his feet. Curiously Bilbo followed as Thorin led him not to their bedroom but out of their rooms and down a side hall he hadn’t ventured down yet. After a few minutes of walking, Thorin stopped in front of a door with a nervous smile. Pulling a small key out of his pocket he offered it to Bilbo as he started speaking, “two months ago I presented you the first courting gift, the gift of protection. That protection was tested earlier today and according to Dwalin we have passed the test. As such I wish to offer you the second gift of our courtship, the gift of comfort.”

When Thorin finished speaking Bilbo reached out an eager hand to take the key and push the door open revealing a small circle of stone and three small steps leading up to a room Bilbo couldn’t quite see. At Thorin’s urging, Bilbo stepped into the entryway and proceeded up the stairs only to stop short as he saw what Thorin had done. Stretching to nearly half the size of the throne room was a wide expanse of soft brown earth with small stepping stone paths weaving across it dividing it into smaller plots of dirt. Looking up from the soil he noticed that from just below waist height up the walls up into the ceiling were made of glass to let sunshine in while keeping in the warmth from the fireplaces to his left and right. “Oh, Thorin! This is truly stunning!”

Thorin reclaimed Bilbo’s hand and led him up the last step and into the center of the room. “The second gift is the gift of love. It is supposed to show how well you know your intended, how well you know what they love to do. Though you have not asked for it I know you have been hoping for a garden here that could rival yours back in Bag End. To ensure that is the case I have had three barrels of soil brought from the banks of the Brandywine River, one barrel of soil brought from your garden in Bag End, and Beorn even sent a barrel from his garden for you to use. There are also packets of seeds sent by both Beorn and a mister Hamfast Gamgee for you to plant come spring. The upper portion of the walls is double paned glass so you can grow all year if you choose and it will always remain warm inside. Will you do me the honor of accepting my second offering?”

“It would be my pleasure to accept this offering!” Bilbo exclaimed happily as he stretched up to kiss Thorin with all the happiness pouring through him right now. After a few moments, Bilbo pulled away eager to explore his space more. “This is so much more than I could have asked for. You didn’t have to bring soil across the whole of middle earth just to make a garden for me!”

Thorin's heart swelled in his chest as he watched Bilbo explore the space with a smile as bright as the sun. “I would go to the ends of the earth to make you smile like you are now. And even though Erebor is home now your roots are in the Shire. When we plant the seeds Yavanna and Mahal gave us I want them to have that same connection to the Shire that you do, their roots will be buried in Shire soil just like yours were.”

“Before that night in the baths I never would have known you were such a romantic. I always imagined that anything we would have between us we be hard and passionate, I never dared to allow myself to dream of more than that because on the outside you always look so hard and unwelcoming of company.” Bilbo said softly, turning from exploring the paths to face Thorin.

“To anyone else I am hard and unwelcoming. You make me more than I am, you bring out sides of me that I didn’t even know existed. I have been on this earth for one hundred and fifty years, I have been without this mountain for nearly half of those years. Since the dragon came and I lost so many that were important to me I never let myself dream that I would find my one, I didn’t dare hope that Mahal would let someone who couldn’t even save their family have a true soul mate. But here you are in front of me, touching me, loving me.” Thorin all but whispered as he stepped across the soil to pull Bilbo into his arms with a shaky breath. “I’m not used to being vulnerable, the whole world can see my weakness laid open when I’m around you. But that matters not to me, you have taught me that showing that I care is not a bad thing at all. I will spend the rest of my days showing you how thankful I am that that meddling wizard dragged you into my company and my life. I love you, Bilbo.”

Bilbo buried his face into the soft fabric of Thorin’s tunic clinging tightly to his dwarf while he tried to get his emotions under control. Once he felt steadier he spoke into Thorin's chest, not daring to look into his eyes. “Thorin if someone had told me a year ago that I would be courting the king of a forgotten country after I traveled with him and his company across the width of Middle Earth and defeated not only the dragon that lived inside his mountain but an army of orcs beside I would have told them they were mad. But here I am. I’m learning a whole new culture and language that I never even considered while spending quiet days in my smial library. As much as I have helped you grow you have helped me even more. You brought out a strength and fire that I did not know I held within myself. You taught me that I am capable of taking risks that have seemingly no reward and coming out all the better for it. And more than that you have taught me that I am capable of loving unconditionally and being loved in return. I love you Thorin.”

The pair of them spent the next few minutes standing in their garden clinging to each other and thinking back on the road that had brought them to this point. Before they could get too deeply lost in thought Thorin squeezed Bilbo tightly before he stepped back to turn Bilbo around and pull his back against his chest. “Now you haven’t told me a lot about the planting needs of those seeds that were given to us but I assumed they would need the ability to grow deep roots. That wide circle in the middle is a full two foot deeper than the rest of the soil I laid here making it six foot deep. Will that be enough room to grow our children? Or do I need to clear out one of the old bathing pools that aren’t in use to make a deeper area?”

“Six foot is plenty deep,” Bilbo replied, trying to ignore the fluttering in his stomach. “It still makes my heart jump to know Yavanna and Mahal gave us that blessing.”

“Me too amralime, that’s why I put smalls shrines to both of them in here as well.” Thorin said, using his position to spin them both around to face the wall where the stone met the glass. Carved into the stone were two medium sized nooks with the sigils and runes of their respective makers.

“Thorin you truly do think of everything, this courting gift is far more than I could have asked for. Thank you.” Bilbo said with awe in his voice.

“I designed it hoping you would grow our children here so this is just as much for me as it is you,” Thorin replied, kissing the top of Bilbo’s head gently.

Biblo spun in Thorin's arms so he was facing the dwarf once again. “This truly will be perfect to grow our children, it was built with love and an open heart and nothing could be better. I can feel how plentiful this garden will be radiating up through my feet. Come on, let’s retire to our rooms and I will show you how much I love what you have done.”


	4. The mountains protection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo's protection has been tested once, now it's being tested again in a different way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MENTION OF RAPE/NON-CON**
> 
> No there is not any graphic mention of it but it is still discussed. As such this is a very emotionally heavy chapter. 
> 
> Also, the italicized section is Thorin speaking in Khuzdul.

**One week after Dis’ arrival**

“Sorry I’m late love, the council meeting ran late.” Thorin preemptively apologized stepping into the rooms he shared with Bilbo. “Since we are doing the small family wedding before the big formal event with the coronation included they are being extremely picky about details of you stepping up as my consort prior to being crowned.”

When he didn’t get a response Thorin looked up from untying his bracers to see what was wrong, only to find that he was alone in the room. Thinking Bilbo had just laid down to relax after spending most of the day in meetings with various guild leaders he went over to the bedroom door to peer inside. Starting to grow concerned he pulled the laces tight again on his bracer and refastened it as he left their suite to go check the garden he had gifted Bilbo earlier in the week. Pushing open the door he knew immediately the garden was empty and something was wrong. Cursing in Khuzdul he turned and sprinted back down the hall to find Dwalin or someone who would know where he was. Careening around the corner he collided with Fili who was coming down the hall in the opposite direction. 

“Uncle? What's wrong?” Fili exclaimed grabbing Thorin’s shoulders to keep him from falling or bolting again. 

“Bilbo is missing.” Thorin panted. “Do you know where Dwalin is? We need the guards to start looking for Bilbo.”

With a shocked look Fili released Thorin’s shoulders, crossed the hall to Ori’s door, and pounded on it with such force that if it was not dwarrow made it would have broken. “DWALIN! GET OUT HERE NOW!” 

“That’s Ori’s room nephew, why would Dwalin be -” Thorin didn’t get to finish asking his question as Dwalin came hopping out of the room pulling one of his boots back on.

“Don’t tell Dori,” Dwalin growled, tying off the lace on his boot. “What’s got you all worked up anyway?”

“Bilbo is missing. He asked me to meet in our room’s for dinner but he wasn’t there when I got there and he wasn’t in his garden either.” Thorin said, using the steel in his voice to hide the nerves.

Ori had come out right behind Dwalin tugging his tunic into place. Reaching back through his door he grabbed his hammer, “I’ll go check the library.”

“I’ll go alert the guard. Thorin you’re going to hate this but you should stay in this wing until he is found. Right now we don’t know what’s going on but I don’t want to put you at risk until we have a better idea.” Dwalin said, leveling a stern glare at Thorin.

“I have already failed in protecting him once! You cannot expect me to do so again!” Thorin shouted.

“He’s right uncle. We don’t know if this is an attack on the line of Durin or just Bilbo getting lost. If it’s the former you going out there could be dangerous.” Fili reasoned as he placed a hand on Thorin’s shoulder. “Kili and Tauriel are in our sitting room, let's go join them until we have more information.”

“Go Thorin. As soon as we know anything I will send someone to find you guys.” Dwalin reassured. “And I will send a guard to find Bofur and have him join you.”

Fili nodded his thanks and half guided half pulled Thorin to his and Kili’s rooms. Once they were inside Thorin huffed and stalked over to the open armchair by the fireplace and flopped down.

“What’s going on?” Kili asked, pulling his focus from the braid he was weaving into Tauriel’s hair. 

“Bilbo’s missing and we don’t know if he just got lost or if there is foul play involved so Dwalin ordered all of us to stay in this wing until we have a better idea of what’s going on,” Fili explained as he lowered himself onto the furs in front of the fire. “Dwalin is having Bofur sent here as well, just in case it is foul play.”

“Oh, that explains the storm cloud over Thorin’s face,” Kili remarked. “Thorin I’ve got a few old blades in the chest over by the wall that I brought up from the old armory to work on sharpening if you want something to distract you.”

“What I want is to be out searching for my One,” Thorin grumbled but he still hoisted himself out of the chair and went to grab a blade to keep his hands busy. After a few moments of tense silence Thorin sighed, “so how long have Dwalin and Ori been sneaking around? I didn’t notice anything on the road.”

Kili snickered, “finally caught on to that, have you? They got together about a month after you and Bilbo but they have been keeping it quiet. I’m pretty sure Dwalin is scared of Dori even if he won’t admit it.”

“Dori and Nori both,” Fili chuckled. “They are fiercely protective of the youngest member of their family.”

“I’m sure you two are exaggerating,” Thorin said doubtfully. “Dwalin isn’t scared of anything, man or beast.

“Not scared exactly,” Fili agreed. “More he and Ori don’t want to deal with their protectiveness when it comes to Ori.”

“If they decide to proceed as far as a courting then I’m sure they will come clean. For now, though, they are perfectly content with the way things are.” Kili said.

Before Thorin could speak again the door to the sitting room was flung open as Bofur came barreling in. “A guard just came and told me I was needed in our wing but he didn’t tell me why.”

“Bilbo is missing,” Thorin said with a growl. “Anyone royal or courting a royal has been sequestered here until it has been ascertained if it is foul play or if our burglar is just lost.”

Bofur stood blinking in the doorway for a moment then with a nod he walked over to the same chest Thorin had taken a blade from and grabbed one to work on himself. Making himself comfortable at Fili’s side he spoke up as he set to work, “knowing Bilbo I am going to venture that he’s just lost, especially considering he doesn’t have the stone sense that the rest of us have.”

“You have a point there,” Kili agreed, relaxing just slightly. “Any one of us could walk these halls with a blindfold on and the mountain wouldn’t let us get lost in her. Bilbo hasn’t been here long enough to learn what her voice sounds like to be able to listen to her.”

Fili and Thorin shared a look but chose not to speak their doubts. Yes, Bilbo being lost was the greater possibility but both the king and his heir knew not everyone living in the mountain for winter was happy that Thorin had taken a hobbit as consort. Though no one had been forward enough to voice their concerns where Thorin or Fili could hear them Nori’s small network of spies had passed the rumors up to them. Until they heard otherwise foul play was still a very viable option.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bilbo cursed silently to himself as he peered around the corner to see if he was still being followed. He had locked his ring away many months ago so he didn’t have the ability to turn invisible so when he heard the shout to get the hobbit he had taken off running, not paying attention to where he was going. Now he was well and truly lost in the mountain and people were still trying to find him for reasons unknown. Of course, there was every chance that some of the people he heard searching for him were from Dwalin’s guards but he didn’t want to take the chance unless he heard or saw someone he recognized. So he was creeping about trying to determine which way he should go to get back to the wing he shared with the company without anyone seeing him. Thankfully he was still wearing the black armor with the sword strapped to his hip that Thorin had gifted him even though the test had been passed a week ago so even if it were to come to a fight he would be protected. Not seeing or hearing anyone close by Bilbo sighed and slid down the wall to sit and think about what he would do next. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After nearly an hour with no word Ori let himself into Kili and Fili’s sitting room, carry a heavy book in one hand and his hammer in the other. “No one has found or heard anything before you ask. However I did find this in the library,” he said passing the book to Thorin.

Thorin took the book curiously and flipped it open. “This is about the magic the sons of Durin have used in the past. I appreciate the find but how is this useful to us now?”

“Turn to the page I marked,” Ori prompted.

Thorin carefully grabbed the ribbon hanging out the top and bottom of the book and used it to flip the pages to the one Ori had marked. “Oh, Ori this is brilliant. I hadn’t even thought of asking the mountain for help tracking Bilbo down.”

“I’m not positive it will work but with how she has reacted to having her king back I think it is worth trying,” Ori replied. “If you wish to try it now let me go find Dwalin to go with us.”

“No need to find me laddie, I’m right here. What are you thinking about trying?” Dwalin asked suspiciously.

“Ori managed to find a book on the old magics, there is something in here about asking the mountain for help in tracking someone in the mountain. I am going to try and use it to track Bilbo.” Thorin explained, leaving no room for argument.

Dwalin eyed him for a moment then nodded. “I will follow you anywhere you know that.”

“According to this, I should start in a room where his presence is felt most strongly and then just rely on the mountain guiding me from there.” Thorin mused aloud as he read from the text.

“So to the garden then?” Kili asked standing up and reaching for his sword to belt it on.

“No that’s too new to him. I will start in our bedroom, wait in the hall for me.” Thorin decided as he stood up and exited the room, leaving a flurry of energy in his wake as everyone hurried to pull on weapons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bilbo groaned and sat up gently placing his fingers on the lump on his head. One moment he had been sitting on the floor trying to figure out how he was going to get back to his company, the next moment stars were exploding behind his eyes. 

“Ah good, you are awake. I was starting to worry I had hit you too hard which would have severely changed my plans for you.” An unfamiliar voice growled. “You can’t use a dead body as a bargaining chip after all.”

Bilbo didn’t reply, just listened and absorbed what information he could; judging by the echoing of the voice he was surrounded by stone which hopefully meant he was still in the mountain and his words told Bilbo that he would keep him alive for at least a little while so hopefully Thorin could find him before things got too bad.

“I wonder what a king like Thorin sees in you, you barely look older than a child with your lack of beard and your short height. And it’s not like you can give him children of his own seeing as your a male. So what is it hmm? What does he see in you halfling?” The voice asked, not so much speaking to Bilbo as it was speaking at him. “Maybe I should strip you down and try you for myself? Maybe I should see what magic your body holds that you’ve used on the king.”

Bilbo’s heart pounded in his chest but he still didn’t speak, he wasn’t sure if speaking would stall the man or speed up the process and he didn’t want to find out. Sitting in the darkness waiting to see what would happen he started praying to Aluë and Yavanna that someone would find him soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thorin dropped to his knees just inside the door of his and Bilbo’s room, pressing his hands to the stone floor he started praying to Mahal to guide him to Bilbo. _“Mahal help me. The one you forged for me is lost in this mountain and I need you to guide me to him. I ask for your energy to ring through the stone that you built to house us and lead me to him if he is still in your mountain.”_ As he finished speaking Thorin opened his eyes and gasped when he saw a set of green footprints glowing on the stone in front of him. Lunging to his feet he spun to follow them out of their rooms and down the hall. 

“Can you see them?” He asked not bothering to come to a stop beside the group waiting for him outside Kili and Fili’s rooms.

“I see nothing uncle, lead the way.” Kili said falling into step next to his uncle with Fili beside him. “Tauriel agreed to stay here in case Bilbo comes back and Bofur is coming with us in case we wind up in the mines because he knows which passages are safe.”

Thorin nodded and sped up his pace now that everyone had caught up to him. They followed the trail as it wound through the back halls that weren’t commonly traveled and down into the lower levels that hadn’t been cleared yet. 

After the third time the trail looped back on itself Bofur spoke up, “I’m starting to think that Bilbo just got lost. Well, that or Thorin can’t recall which trail he followed already.”

“It’s footsteps, hard to get turned around with those,” Thorin grunted as he came to a stop. “Footsteps that just changed color.”

“That’s not good.” Dwalin growled.

“No, it's not.” Thorin replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even knowing no one was likely to be close enough to hear him Bilbo screamed as the unknown dwarf shoved him onto his stomach and ripped his pants trying to get them off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thorin was just starting to lose hope of ever finding Bilbo in the maze of the lower halls when he heard a blood-curdling scream. Shooting a look that was filled with pure fear at Kili he took off at a run towards the noise, glancing down every few yards to make sure he was still following the path even though he didn't want it to be leading towards the screams. When the footsteps disappeared under a door at the end of the hall Thorin pointed at it indicating that was where the trail led/ 

After Thorin indicated Bilbo was behind the door at the end of the hall Ori pushed to the front with his hammer in his hand, using the momentum from running he swung the hammer with all his might and destroyed the aged wood of the door. 

“In the name of the King Under the Mountain stop whatever you are doing!” Thorin roared as he followed Ori through the remains of the door.

The dwarf in the room tried to jump away from the crumpled form on the floor but fell on to their back because of the pants tangled around their ankles.

“Dwalin, Fili, tie him up and take him back to the cells! Bofur run ahead and find Oin and tell him we need him in the royal wing!” Thorin barked his orders and watched everyone jump into action before crossing over to the unmoving half-naked body on the floor and wrapping him in the cloak he had gifted Thorin for his first courting gift. “Bilbo, amralime, can you hear me? Please say something, please.”

“Uncle there’s blood on his head, we need to get him to Oin.” Kili said softly.

Thorin nodded pulling Bilbo close to his chest as he stood and started walking back to their rooms. He didn’t want to think about what that bastard had been trying to do to Bilbo, he refused to entertain the thought that the piled of orc dung may have actually succeeded and that was why Bilbo had screamed. Without having to follow the twisting and winding path Bilbo had taken to get that deep into the uninhabited portion of the mountain the return trip to their rooms was much quicker. 

As they turned down the hall that was lined with the company’s rooms Oin caught up to them. “Bofur told me what happened, has he spoken since you found him?”

“Not a word, he hasn’t even moved since I picked him up.” Thorin said, hating how much his voice was shaking.

Oin nodded and pushed open the door to Thorin and Bilbo’s suite. “Hopefully he just took a knock to the head, if that’s the case I have something in this pouch of mine that will wake him right up.”

“There is blood in his hair so I’m sure he was hit at least once.” Kili confirmed as he hurried forward to open the door to the bedroom. “I’ll go get cloth and water to clean him up. Do you need anything else uncle?”

“No. Take your time coming back, I’m sure part of the examination is something BIlbo wouldn’t want anyone else seeing.” Thorin said quietly as he laid Bilbo on the bed and stepped back to give Oin room to work while he stripped off his outer layers.

Kili nodded in understanding, giving his uncle a quick hug and leaving the room.

“What part of the exam wouldn’t Bilbo want others seeing? We all shared a healing tent after the battle, there’s not much left that another member of the company hasn’t seen.” Oin asked, not turning his attention away from the bleeding cut that he was tending to on Bilbo’s head.

Thorin dropped the last of his armor and crawled into bed behind Bilbo. Taking a shaky breath Thorin looked up at Oin with pain in his eyes. “The dwarf that had taken him had his pants around his ankles when we found him and Bilbo is half naked under my cloak.”

Oin’s eyes snapped up to meet Thorin's, “I see. Did you catch them in the act?”

“No, but we heard a scream just before we found Bilbo and when Ori broke through the door the dwarf was on top of Bilbo.”

Oin nodded and finished cleaning the cut. “Well, I think you should look at that before I wake him up. You know his body better than anyone else and it would be less embarrassing for him if you were the one to look him over. I will be right on the other side of the door, call me when he’s dressed in sleep clothes.”

Thorin nodded as the healer excused himself from the room. Once the door closed behind Oin, Thorin slid out of the bed to gather sleep clothes for Bilbo. As he approached the bed with clothes in hand he took one last steadying breath Thorin reached out and pulled the cloak from Bilbo’s shoulders and rolled the hobbit onto his back. Blinking back tears Thorin reached a shaking hand out to feel between Bilbo’s legs to see if the attacker had succeeded. A heavy sob of relief escaped his mouth as his fingers found no damage in Bilbo’s most sensitive area, pulling back his hand Thorin quickly dressed Bilbo in sleep clothes before climbing back into bed with him. “Oin! You can come back in!”

“Anything I need to be aware of?” Oin prodded gently as he stepped back through the door. 

“Nothing.” Thorin said through his tears as he clung to Bilbo.

“That’s good then.” Oin said with relief evident in his voice. “Lets wake mister Baggin’s up and see how he feels.”

Thorin quickly dried his tears and sat up to pull Bilbo into a sitting position against his chest. 

Once they were situated Oin uncorked the small vial he had pulled from his healing pouch and passed it under Bilbo’s nose causing the smaller man to cough and jerk away from the smell.

“Bilbo you’re, safe it’s okay. Thorin’s holding you, you're back in your rooms.” Oin reassured as Bilbo started frantically scanning his surroundings.

“Oin? Thorin? What happened?” Bilbo rasped.

“I’m not altogether sure. I came back to meet you for dinner and you weren’t here so I roused the guard to look for you. When they didn’t find you I called on the mountain herself for help and she led me to a room in the lower levels that we hadn’t cleaned yet where we found you unconscious with another dwarf. Dwalin and Fili are questioning him now.” Thorin explained what he knew of the day's events.

Bilbo blinked slowly processing what had been said and trying to fit it into his memories of the afternoon. “I was coming back from my meeting with the heads of the guilds making sure they are having no issues absorbing the dwarrow from Ered Luin when I heard a shout to get the hobbit so I took off running. I must have taken a wrong turn or six because I wound up well and truly lost in the dark but I thought I was alone so I sat to catch my breath and try and figure out how to best get back out of there. While I was sitting there apparently they caught up to me because I remember seeing stars then I woke up again in what sounded like a small room and there was someone rambling about how my body must have magic and he wanted to explore it to find out how I ensnared you.”

Thorin growled possessively and clutched Bilbo tighter to him. “He didn’t succeed. We found you before he could do anything. Even so, he will be punished and so will his conspirators if they can be found. ”

“That’s enough talk of that now.” Oin said cutting them off. “How is your head, Bilbo? Any blurry vision? Any dizziness?”

“Um I have a slight headache but other than that I’m fine, no blurriness or dizziness.” Bilbo replied after a moments thought.

“Good I’m glad to hear it. Since there seems to be nothing I can do here I will be leaving you. Now, you are to relax for the rest of the night, understood?” Oin ordered as he packed his healing bag up and stood to leave.

“Understood,” Thorin agreed. “If you would please tell the others that he is okay and we would like privacy that would be much appreciated.”

“Of course, and I will have Bombur send up dinner for you both as well. Now goodnight.” Oin said with an air of finality as he exited the room.

Once the door shut behind the healer Thorin felt Bilbo start shaking in his arms. “Amralime, what’s wrong?”

“I feared I would never see you again. Or that if I did see you again I would be so soiled you wouldn’t want me anymore.” Bilbo whispered between sobs.

“No matter what happens I will never leave you. I’m right here with you and I will be for the rest of time.” Thorin reassured as he shifted Bilbo to sit across his lap more comfortably. “Even the mountain wants you safe, she led me right to you. And I think she would have interfered even if I hadn’t made it to you in time, I could feel her unease rumbling through the stone beneath my feet. Trust me, no matter what happens if you are in this mountain you will be protected.”

Bilbo nodded and clung tightly to Thorin as he cried. Now that he was safe all the stress and fear was clawing its way out of him and he was powerless to stop it. So he cried until he couldn’t cry anymore, clinging to the strength and safety of his love.

Once the sobs had mostly stopped wracking the hobbit's body Thorin spoke again, “would you like me to run us a bath?”

Bilbo hiccupped and nodded, sliding off of Thorin’s lap to move into the bathroom. Once his feet touched the floor he gasped as the usually cool stone warmed beneath his feet and he felt a gentle hum in his bones.

“What is it? Are you hurt?” Thorin asked rushing around the bed to kneel in front of him.

“I think the mountain is trying to reassure me,” Bilbo breathed. “I can feel her humming in my bones and she warmed beneath my feet.”

Thorin stared at him in wonder for a moment. “She’s teaching you how to hear her so you don’t get lost again. I’ve never even heard of any of our mountains opening up to someone who wasn’t born a dwarrow. I know you said Mahal and Yavanna blessed you with living the rest of your life as a dwarrow but this is proof of it, the mountain now recognizes you as one of us.”

“This is going to take some getting used to,” Bilbo remarked sounding bemused. “I am truly thankful our Valar and your mountain have blessed our union.”

“It will fade into background noise shortly, it’s always strongest when she first speaks to you,” Thorin reassured him with a smile. “Now come, let’s get you in that bath and by the time we get done dinner should have been delivered.”

Bilo took a deep breath to steady himself and stood to walk into the bathroom. He could feel Thorin's heavy tread next to him, he could feel the muffled movements of people rooms away going about their business, and he could feel the mountain warming his bones and offering comfort to him. Listening to the mountain sing to him, he knew that as long as he was inside the mountain he would be safe just as Thorin promised.


	5. Bilbo's Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fourth courting gift is presented, Bilbo's gift of love for Thorin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song featured in this chapter is on my Tumblr under the tag [ Loving A Dwarrow](http://irish-slytherin.tumblr.com/tagged/loving_a_dwarrow), as well as some other inspiration pieces I have used

With a satisfied grunt, Thorin tossed the report Nori had passed him earlier that morning onto his already cluttered desk next to the box that had come with it. According to Nori the last of the dwarrow that had helped in the attempted attack on Bilbo had been captured, had their beards and heads shaved, and they would never be darkening the door of the mountain again on pain of death. Nori had also advised Thorin that he had set a select few of his men to listening for any rumors regarding the people the sons of Durin were courting to hopefully prevent any future incidents.

Meanwhile, back in his old rooms Bilbo look up from the harp frame he was meticulously engraving the last bit of honeysuckle into as he felt footsteps approach the door. In the week and a half since the mountain had started speaking to him, Bilbo had started piecing together what boot tread belonged to who but Kili and Fili’s tread’s were too similar for him to tell apart quite yet, and one of them was approaching his rooms now. As the steps stopped in front of his door he yelled out at them, “don’t bother knocking, come on in!”

Fili stepped through the door chuckling, “so I take it you are getting used to the mountain talking to you?”

“Aye just a bit,” Bilbo confirmed with a smile. “Please come sit, I need your help finishing this courting gift for Thorin if you’re willing.”

“You know I will do anything to help you out after everything you’ve done for me and my family,” Fili said agreeably.

Bilbo passed over the harp frame he was in the process of engraving the last flowers into. “I know it’s probably a bit feminine for dwarrow standards but flowers are traditional in hobbit courting and I wanted to bring some of that out.”

“Bilbo this is stunning. When you set your mind to learning something you pick it up amazingly fast, three months ago you nearly took off your thumb making Thorin’s courting beads from what Bofur told me.” Fili said as he admired the detailed carving Bilbo had done on the frame.

“Thank you, I’m glad it’s coming out well. Really all I have left to do is paint it after it’s strung,” Bilbo replied, blushing slightly at the praise. “What I need help with is placing and tuning the strings. I carved out the holes where the woodcarver marked on the basic frame when he gave it to me, and there are pins in this box that I whittled along with the strings. What I don’t know is how long to make them sound the right notes. Can you string it for me please?” he asked passing a small wooden box to Fili. 

“I’m thrilled that you would ask for my help with a courting gift, of course I will help. If you don’t mind I’ll do it now, Thorin won’t be looking for me for the rest of the afternoon so I have plenty of time to get it right.” Fili offered.

“That would be perfect!” Bilbo agreed happily, “I’ll make us a light snack for tea while you’re working on it.”

“You sure do know how to bribe a dwarf!” Fili joked before setting the harp frame carefully on the table. “Let me just run next door and get a couple things to make this easier and I will get started.”

As Fili slipped out of the room to get what he needed Bilbo got up and made himself busy putting together a tea tray filled with the prince’s favorite pastries in the small kitchenette attached to the sitting room. While he was waiting for the kettle to whistle he heard Fili let himself back into the sitting room and get to work. Once he finished preparing the tea he carried it out to the sitting room where Fili was measuring the first string and affixing it to a pin to put it in the harp. Setting the tray on the table between the couch and the chair Bilbo took his own cup and sat back to watch with interest as Fili fit the pins into the correct slots and experimentally plucked at the string on the new harp then at the string on his own harp. When the sounds didn’t quite match he gently pulled on the bit of string he had left extra coming out of the bottom pin and plucked the string again, repeating this process until it was right. Over the next four hours, Fili fit and tuned each of the thirty strings with careful precision, pausing only occasionally to give his fingers a break while he nibbled at one of the pastries Bilbo had set out. 

Eventually, he passed the harp to Bilbo with a smile, “all of the strings should be tuned correctly now. I don’t want to actually play it to be sure though, Thorin should get the honor of being the first one to play it.”

“I appreciate you even doing this much. I would have been totally lost trying to make it sound right, I can barely sing much less play an instrument.” Bilbo pointed out with a laugh. 

“Oh Thorin is quite good at making you sing.” Fili teased as he stood up and stretched his back, “I believe Thorin just went by to go to your rooms, you should probably join him.”

Bilbo nodded and tucked the harp away in the large chest he had bought to keep it safe. With a smile he turned to give Fili a quick hug in thanks then he hurried out of the room to go join Thorin for dinner.

The next morning Bilbo kissed Thorin goodbye and then waited impatiently until the feeling of his tread faded down the hall. As soon as he was sure the king was well away from their wing until at least lunch he made his way down to the market stall he had ordered paints and stains at to pick them up. Clutching his package carefully to his chest he hurried back to his old rooms to get to work. He hoped to have the painting done by lunch, if he did it could dry while he spent the afternoon in a council meeting and then the harp would be ready to gift to Thorin tonight. After spreading out the items he just purchased on the small dining table he had dragged in front of the fire for the best lighting he ducked into the kitchenette and grabbed a small bowl for water and a rag to keep his brushes clean. Deciding everything was laid out to his satisfaction he set to work carefully mixing colors painting each flower and vine just the right shade.

He was so absorbed in his work that he didn’t know someone was approaching the door until they knocked. Since the only people who knew where to find him were Kili and Fili he called out permission to enter without looking up from finishing applying the wood stain to the unpainted portions of the harp.

“I figured I would find you in here when I realized I hadn’t seen you at lunch.” Kili greeted him, “you’ve got ten minutes until the council meeting. I brought you some meat and bread for you to eat on your way down.”

Bilbo swore loudly in khuzdul as he processed what Kili was saying. “Thank you for the food, will you walk with me?”

“I see you’ve been working on your lessons with Ori.” Kili laughed giving Bilbo a playful bow as he held the door for Bilbo. “Did you get the painting done?”

“I just finished applying the stain as you came in.” Bilbo confirmed as he tore off a piece of the bread and stuffed it in his mouth. “Hopefully it’s completely dry by the time we get through this blasted council meeting.”

“I can stall Thorin so you can swing in and check on your way back to your rooms for dinner.” Killi offered.

“I would appreciate that, if it is done I want to present it to him tonight,” Bilbo confirmed, finishing the roast boar Kili had given him for lunch as the approached the council chamber. 

Nodding their thanks to the guards that opened the door for them they entered and took their seats to the left of Thorin's still empty chair. A few minutes after they made themselves comfortable the king strode in and brought the meeting to order, starting with Bilbo’s reports on the status of the guild halls after Smaug’s residency in the mountain.

Three hours later Thorin dismissed the council and sank back in his chair with an aggravated huff. At least they had made some progress on allocating the guild halls, setting which halls were a priority for renovations and which could be occupied immediately between all the bickering and arguing that his council was overly fond of doing.

“Uncle, can I speak to you about my courting gift for Tauriel before dinner?” Kili asked, winking discreetly at Bilbo.

“You don’t mind if I take a few minutes to get to dinner do you, Bilbo?” Thorin verified.

“Not at all, I need to get the shepherds pie in the oven anyway.” Bilbo conceded, giving Thorin a small kiss before excusing himself. He figured whatever Kili had to ask would only buy him a few moments at best so he all but ran to his old rooms to check on the harp. Once he reached the door he paused to verify that no one was behind him before stepping into the room and hurrying over to check the paint. After confirming the harp was completely dry he tucked it away into the large chest which he then pushed out the door and down the hall to his and Thorin’s rooms, thankfully it wasn’t very heavy just awkward to move.

“Oh, it already smells delightful in here.” Thorin moaned as he entered their rooms not five minutes behind Bilbo. “What did I do to earn my favorite dinner cooked by my favorite hobbit so I can repeat the action as needed in the future?”

Bilbo laughed from his spot on the couch. “All you have to do is ask and I will happily make whatever you want for dinner, I’ve told you that before. But there actually is a reason why I made something special tonight, come sit down and I’ll tell you what it is.”

Thorin eyed Bilbo curiously, noticing the chest just barely visible behind, him as he quickly stripped down to his tunic and trousers, obviously planning on remaining in their rooms for the rest of the evening. Once he was comfortable he joined Bilbo on the couch, stealing a kiss before he sat down. 

Bilbo pushed the large chest at his feet over to Thorin, trying not to giggle with excitement. “Thorin Oakenshield I would like to present my second and final courting gift for your consideration. This is the traditional gift of love, meant to show that I know my intended and what he loves to do to pass the time.”

“I already know I will accept it but I’m curious to see what you possibly could have done that required a chest nearly the height of your torso.” Thorin remarked as he reached out to lift the lid. With a shocked gasp, Thorin gently lifted the harp out of its box to inspect it more closely, his fingers tracing tenderly across each of the flowers Bilbo had engraved into the wood.

“I engraved it myself. The vines are honeysuckle for bonds of love, the yellow flowers are celandine for joys to come, the small dark red flowers are primroses for eternal love, the blue flowers are violets for faithfulness, and the white flowers are azaleas for passion. Lastly, carved up the spine that rests against your shoulder, is an oak tree for strength. ” Bilbo explained smiling softly. “I know flowers aren’t used in dwarven courting rituals but it is typical to give your intended a crown of flowers with attributes you want in the marriage. I decided to do something a little more permanent and combine the flowers with something I hope you will use every chance you get. You’ve only played for me a few times but when you have the joy has been clear for me to see so I am fairly sure it is something you love to do. Will you do me the honor of accepting my final courting gift?”

“Bilbo I am truly honored that you put this much thought into this gift, it is my pleasure to accept this.” Thorin whispered, nearly overwhelmed with emotion as he rested the harp against his shoulder to test the size of it in his arms.

“Fili did his best to tune it but it hasn’t actually been played yet. Will you play for me while we wait for dinner?”

Thorin nodded as he laid his fingers on the strings plucking gently to get a feel for them. Finding his rhythm he settled into a slow gentle melody and started softly singing, keeping his eyes on Bilbo the whole time. _“Believe me if all those endearing young charms which I gaze on so fondly today were to change by tomorrow and fleet in my arms, like fairy gifts fading away thou would'st still be adored as this moment thou art let thy loveliness fade as it will and around the dear ruin each wish of my heart would entwine itself verdantly still.”_

Bilbo closed his eyes as Thorin’s voice wrapped around him like a favorite blanket. Once the music stopped he opened them slowly and smiled softly at Thorin. “I love listening to you make music. It fills my heart and soul with warmth better than any hearth could ever succeed in doing.”

“Now that I have a harp again I will happily play for you until my fingers bleed if that’s what you desire.” Thorin promised, setting the harp gently back in the chest so he could lean in and kiss Bilbo gently. 

“Why don’t we have dinner first then we can discuss desires more.” Bilbo teased as he stood to go pull the pie from the oven. “Do you want to eat at the table or in our bedroom?”

“The bedroom sounds lovely, we are less likely to be disturbed in there.” Thorin said with a laugh, remembering the time he and Bilbo had been making love on the very couch he was sitting on when Kili burst into the room unannounced.

“I do believe your sister-sons learned their lesson after the last incident,” Bilbo chuckled. “But yes let's go hide in our room for the night.”

As Bilbo was plating their dinner and gathering utensils Thorin brushed his fingers across the harp one more time before walking across the rooms to wrap his arms around Bilbo’s waist, causing the hobbit to squeak in surprise. “Very few people know how much I love to play the harp, it’s not something I have had the leisure to explore since we lost the mountain. Knowing you noticed that from only a couple moments of me playing in Lake Town is truly amazing and shows how well matched you are for me. That kind of attention to detail shows how well suited you will be managing the various guilds of our kingdom as my consort.”

Bilbo pressed back into Thorin's chest sighing contentedly. “I have hardly been able to keep from studying you ever since the night you burst into my smial. I’ve noted down every little thing that has brought a smile to your face hoping that one day I could be the one bringing a smile to your face. Those rare moments when you let your guard down and let yourself be happy were the moments I used as fuel to keep me warm when the nights got too cold. I still wake up amazed I’ve been blessed with a chance to use that knowledge to make your days brighter.”

Thorin kissed the top of Bilbo’s head smiling as he hugged him tighter. “I don’t know why Mahal decided I deserved you but I thank him every day for giving me a chance to prove to you how much I love you.”

“I could never doubt how much you love me,” Bilbo said tipping his head back to catch Thorin’s lips. “Now take your plate and let us go to our room where no one will disturb us.”

“If you carry both plates I’ll bring my new harp in and I can play for you some more.” Thorin bargained with a tender smile.

“Deal,” Bilbo said taking the plates and making his way into the bedroom.

Thorin walked over to the chest the harp way laying in and picked it up carefully. There were countless gems, hundreds of beautifully forged treasures, and endless piles of gold in the mountain yet he was sure he had never seen anything as beautifully crafted as the harp Bilbo had carved. The detail Bilbo had achieved in the vines and flowers was on par with any engraving a master in his mountain could do, and just thinking as much made him want to bring one of the masters into his office to inspect the harp. But that could be dealt with tomorrow, right now there was a hobbit sitting in their bedroom with a plate of his favorite dinner waiting for him and he was going to enjoy his night with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the end of the series!!! I have two weddings to write (and the wedding nights that go with them), a dwobbit planting, and one more courting gift (the provider gift from Thorin). So plenty more in this series coming don't worry!
> 
> I just wanted the first set of gifts to go together in one story because it flowed best with how I laid out the timeline.


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